Georgia State leaves CAA for Sun Belt Conference

Georgia State is leaving the Colonial Athletic Association for the Sun Belt Conference, school officials announced Monday.

The school will begin playing a conference schedule for the 2013-14 academic year. Villanova and Delaware are in the CAA for football; Drexel and Delaware play CAA basketball.

Georgia State has been a CAA member since 2005, although it did not have an active football program until 2010. The team will join CAA football for 2012, in what will turn out to be its only season.

"Georgia State's withdrawal from the CAA and CAA football is predicated on the university's desire to reclassify to FBS football, which requires membership in an FBS league," CAA commissioner Tom Yeager said in a statement. "We've been aware that GSU was having discussions with the Sun Belt Conference as the CAA could not accommodate that desire within GSU's time frame. The conference wishes the university well as it pursues these new interests."

The football program will complete a transitional period while playing a Sun Belt schedule in 2013 and then will be eligible for postseason football and the conference championship in 2014.